High Cost program for website

Funding for Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs)

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Funding for Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (CETCs)

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Designating carrier eligibility for program support

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Step 4 Filing Requirements

STEP 3 STEP 5

Interstate Common Line Support

Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS) is available only to rate-of-return incumbent carriers (mostly rural and some non-rural carriers) and competitive carriers providing service in the areas of these companies.

All rate-of-return incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) must submit information needed for USAC to calculate the projected ICLS revenue requirement for those carriers. A competitive eligible telecommunications carrier (CETC) serving in the study area of a rate-of-return carrier must submit only line count data. Both ILECs and competitive ETCs must submit ICLS certifications to be eligible for ICLS.

Revenue Requirement Information for ILECs

All rate-of-return ILECs have until March 31 of each year to submit their projected revenue requirement data on the FCC Form 508 (Interstate Common Line Support Mechanism Projected Annual Common Line Requirement Form) for the ICLS upcoming program year beginning July 1 through June 30. The following data must be submitted by study area:

  • Projected common line revenue requirement
  • Projected subscriber line charge (SLC) revenues
  • Projected transitional carrier common line charge revenues
  • Projected special access surcharges
  • Projected line port costs in excess of basic analog service

Revisions to projected revenue data filed March 31 may be submitted April 1 through June 30. Revisions to projected data of the ending ICLS program year are due by June 30.

Actual Results of Operations Submission

Incumbent carriers also must submit actual results of operations on the FCC Form 509 (Interstate Common Line Support Mechanism Annual Common Line Actual Cost Data Collection Form) that shows the ICLS results of operations for the preceding calendar year on December 31 of each year for the previous calendar year (e.g., actual results for calendar year 2009 were due by December 31, 2010). This information is used to "true up" the projected ICLS amounts disbursed during the calendar year based on a carrier's projected ICLS.